Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Edwards, come on down. Did they tell you he had to come in and give him a kiss. Come on, go back to your seat.

The defence minister's role is to ensure our national security. He should stop and listen to Senator Birmingham and not undermine the integrity of our national security, because, as Senator Birmingham has also acknowledged, that is what happened yesterday.

Let's be clear. In the Senate last night the defence minister should have made a full statement of apology to the parliament and to the ASC. What was he doing for five hours yesterday and for the three hours after the Prime Minister cut him loose last night. The Prime Minister cannot possibly have full confidence in the defence minister following that statement. We know people sitting behind him right now do not have. We know that unnamed others in this place do not have confidence in him. The Prime Minister needs to carefully consider whether keeping the defence minister in his role is in the national interest, because he clearly has no confidence in the job he is doing.

He has been dragged in here this morning kicking and screaming. He should have been in here last night. He is trying to pass it off as just a joke, or, as Senator Abetz said, 'overstating'. Well, Senator Abetz certainly did not overstate his defence of the minister. He did not say, 'I know Senator Johnston is going to be sitting there in February.' He missed the opportunity to say that, but on radio this morning Senator Johnston showed absolutely no remorse. So he has already been out for a test drive and he showed no remorse this morning for his absolutely disgraceful remarks.

It is not a 'rhetorical flourish' for the defence minister to denigrate the workers who keep our submarines maintained and in the water. It is not a 'rhetorical flourish' to attack the workers who keep Royal Australian Navy sailors safe. The Prime Minister knew it. Senator Birmingham knew it. For this irresponsible minister to cover up his political embarrassment and political pain—he is prepared to do it.

I wonder if the defence minister was listening yesterday to the ASC worker who said:

There is no way that we would put at risk our sailors—Australian sailors. There is no way we will be giving them second-class work, shoddy jobs or anything like that. We give them the best.

That was a heartfelt response to Senator Johnston's denigration and his continual denigration.

This is a minister who is so desperate to break his promise that he is prepared to denigrate anyone, whether they are submarine experts, or whether they are former naval officers who actually know something about the submarine sector.

Honourable senators interjecting—